Pesto Pasta Bake

Is there anything better than a good ol’ casserole? I think not! This pesto pasta bake is a great, quick meal to whip up during a busy week. It’s filling, it’s delicious, and who doesn’t love pasta? I love to make this for Andrew and I in the fall on a Sunday night to have leftovers for a few days to bring for lunches or as a quick meal. 

Why you’ll love this pesto pasta bake: 

• It’s Pasta: If you don’t like pasta you must be a serial killer. Enough said 
• Quick: Whip this up in under an hour 
• Fresh: The pesto adds such a delicious freshness to this recipe that I love

Ingredients: 

For this pesto pasta bake, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

Ingredient notes: 

Pesto: I like to make a simple homemade pesto with a mix of ingredients like basil, kale, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. However, you can also make a simpler one with basil, parm (if you’re not vegan), and olive oil. If you’re lazy (no judgement) buy a store-bought one. 

Feta: My fav vegan feta is from Violife Foods. It’s soy free, gluten-free, and absolutely tastes like the real thing (this is coming from a Greek girl afterall). It also melts great in dishes like this, and can be used in everything! Eat it in salads, on top of pizza, on its own, the options are endless.

Kale: Sneaking some kale into this delicious recipe to add in those added nutritional benefits of vitamin A, C, K, folate, iron, and the list goes on. Kale is such a superfood!

How do you make a pesto pasta bake?

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once boiled, generously salt.  Cook pasta as per package instructions.  Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.

2. To a large pan, heat olive on medium and cook down onions and garlic till translucent.  This may take up to 5-6 minutes.  Stir often to avoid burning. To the pan, add the spices and coat everything evenly.

3. To the pan, add the kale and cook till decreased by half in size.  Add the tomatoes and stir to combine.  Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes.

4. To the pot of strained pasta, add all the kale + tomato sauce and combine.  Transfer to a large casserole dish (13″L x 7.75″W x 2.25″) and set aside.

5. Into a small bowl, add the feta of choice and pesto and stir till combined.

6. Top the pasta in the casserole dish with the feta/pesto mixture and evenly distribute the pasta water.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Expert Tips & FAQ: 

Does it matter what kind of pasta I use? Nope! I would just advise against super tiny noodles or long (spaghetti/fettuccini) noodles. 

Storage: I wouldn’t necessarily freeze this but you can store it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.

Do I have to make homemade pesto? Absolutely not. I often have homemade pesto made up in my freezer that I just thaw out when I need it but you can also just buy store-bought.

What if I’m not vegan? Simple! Use regular feta instead.

Other vegan pasta recipes you’ll love: 

• Vegan Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce
• The Best Vegan “Meat” Sauce
• Vegan Creamy Cashew Coconut Tomato Sauce
• Creamy Garlicky Pasta

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Pesto Pasta Bake

5 from 1 vote

A yummy, easy casserole with delicious fresh pesto and feta cheese. This pesto pasta bake is to die for!

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Vegan Meals

Cuisine Mediterranean-Inspired

Servings 8 -10

Calories 212 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 227 g Fusili Pasta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion minced
• 5 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
• 1 tbsp. Umani Spice optional, I use Simply Organic
• 1 tbsp. basil spice
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red chili pepper
• 1 large head of kale washed, de-stemmed and chopped
• 18 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 brick of vegan Violife Feta 1 cup regular feta
• 1/2 cup pesto could also be storebought
• large handfuls of fresh basil

Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once boiled, generously salt.  Cook pasta as per package instructions.  Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
• To a large pan, heat olive on medium and cook down onions and garlic till translucent.  This may take up to 5-6 minutes.  Stir often to avoid burning. To the pan, add the spices and coat everything evenly.
• To the pan, add the kale and cook till decreased by half in size.  Add the tomatoes and stir to combine.  Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
• To the pot of strained pasta, add all the kale + tomato sauce and combine.  Transfer to a large casserole dish (13″L x 7.75″W x 2.25″) and set aside.
• Into a small bowl, add the feta of choice and pesto and stir till combined.
• Top

  the pasta in the casserole dish with the feta/pesto mixture and evenly distribute the pasta water.  Bake at 350F for 25-30 mintues.
• Enjoy with fresh basil!

Video

Notes

Pasta: Any type of pasta will work here honestly! Have fun with it!

Feta: If you're not vegan, then use regular feta!

Pesto:  If you don't want to make homemade pesto storebought is just fine

Nutrition

Serving: 10 | Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.6g | Protein: 7.2g | Fat: 11.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.3g | Cholesterol: 13.4mg | Sodium: 512.5mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 5.2g

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